Virgin Galactic, a space travel and launch company, completed the maiden launch of its commercial spaceflight, VSS Unity. The mission (Galactic 01) carried 13 research payloads and a three-member crew consisting of Italian Air Force and National Research Council officers.

VSS Unity was launched on top of VMS Eve (Virgin Galactic’s mothership) and ascended to over 50 miles above the Earth’s surface before gliding back after 75 minutes in the air.

The company will perform post-flight inspections and analysis as it gears up for the Galactic 02 mission slated for August 2023, following which it expects to begin monthly space expeditions.

Analyst QuickTake: While USD 450,000 per flight is significantly less than SpaceX’s USD 55 million per trip to the ISS, it is still more expensive than World View Enterprise , Space Perspective , and Halo Space , which provide multiple-hour commercial space experiences for less than half the price (between USD 50,000 and USD 220,000).